Silver gilded service Russian Imperial gift, decorated with cloisonne enamel, Grachev Brothers firm, St. Petersburg, 1895
The jewelry house of the Grachev brothers was famous for its products in the Art Nouveau and Neo-Russian styles. The company produced silverware decorated with embossing, engraving, cast sculpture, as well as silver items decorated with enamel. The craftsmen used both the traditional filigree enamel technique and champlevé, stained glass and guilloché enamel.
The jewelry workshop of the Grachevs was created by Gavriil Grachev. Unfortunately, he passed away very early, and his business was inherited by eight sons. A small workshop by 1895 became a factory, one of the brothers – Mikhail Grachev – was appointed a full-time appraiser of the Imperial Cabinet. The Grachev Jewelry House became the supplier of the Imperial Court and remained so until 1917.
Leather cigar box with a silver frame decorated with enamel, 1902.Silver gilded oval tazza decorated with cloisonné enamel, width 18 cm, circa 1885.A set of gilded silver spoons decorated with guilloché enamel, circa 1910.Silver gilded vase, cloisonné enamel, Moscow, circa 1890.Silver bowl decorated with cloisonné enamel, diameter 7.3 cm, 1882.A set of twelve silver gilded vodka cups decorated with cloisonné enamel, height 4.2 cm, circa 1890.Silver gilded goblet, decorated with champlevé enamel, height 15.2 cm, St. Petersburg, 1890cigarette case and amber-silver mouthpiece, champlevé enamel, length 12.2 cm, St. Petersburg, circa 1890inkpot decorated with champlevé and stained glass Plique-à-Jour enamel, height 9 cm, St. Petersburg, circa 1895.coaster, decorated with cloisonné enamel, height 9.5 cm, St. Petersburg, circa 1890.A pair of glass salt shakers, in a gilded silver frame in the form of baskets with decor in the form of figures of bears in muzzles and chains, height 10 cm, St. Petersburg, 1889.Silver teapot decorated with Russian-style enamel, height 17 cm, St. Petersburg, 1880Silver plate for bread in the form of a wicker basket and a pair of stacks, St. Petersburg, 1890A set of silver gilded coasters in the style of Trompe l’Oeil in the form of bast-woven boxes with spoons, a strainer and tongs, St. Petersburg, 1894.Silver ice bucket in the form of a wooden tub with the image of a Russian troika, St. Petersburg, 1899-1908.Vodka service with a decanter and ten glasses, St. Petersburg, 1899-1908.Silver bowl in the form of a shell on legs in the form of water lily leaves, length 36 32 cm, St. Petersburg, 1895.
Firm Brothers Grachev – precious icons
By the end of the 19th century, the St. Petersburg firm of the Grachev brothers became one of the largest and most respected firms producing gold and silver items. The high level of craftsmanship and the quality of its products have been awarded prestigious awards at domestic and international exhibitions and fairs.
Silver gilded icon Trinity decorated with cloisonne enamel 39×28 cm Grachev Brothers firm St. Petersburg 1890 1896.
Icons and church utensils made up a significant part of the production of the famous company of the Grachev brothers. The icons themselves and the faces of saints were painted by famous and unknown icon painters. We don’t always know their names. Jewelery workshops, on the other hand, gave the icons a finished look, creating for them frames, salaries and chasubles from precious metals.
This icon of Christ the Almighty decorated with gilding and cloisonne enamel belonged to the imperial family. Size 22.7×18.2 cm Grachev Brothers St. Petersburg 1894.Silver gilded icon George the Victorious slaying the dragon decorated with a border of cloisonne enamel height 17.2 cm Grachev Brothers St. Petersburg 1896.
The figure of Christ is thinly painted on metal and signed “Platonov” at the bottom left. Fyodor Platonov was an independent icon painter in St. Petersburg, who supplied icons for Faberge, Grachev and other masters’ shops, and also completed commissions for the Imperial Cabinet. The icon belonged to Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich. On the reverse side there is a plate with an inscription dated June 10, 1894: “Blessing to His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich.”
Silver gilded icon of St. Catherine in a frame decorated with champleve enamel height 29.3 cm Grachev Brothers firm St. Petersburg 1908 1917.Triptych depicting George the Victorious and Saints Cleonikos and Basilisk painted in a naive manner in bright colors in the traditional style.The outer side is decorated with a complex ornament in the technique of cloisonne enamel 33 x 17.5 cm Grachev Brothers St. Petersburg 1880.Silver gilded icon of St. Michael decorated with champleve enamel height 16.8 cm Grachev Brothers firm St. Petersburg 1903.Silver gilded icon of St. George the Victorious decorated with champleve enamel height 15.2 cm Grachev Brothers firm St. Petersburg 1908 1917.Alexander Nevsky written on zinc by Fyodor Platonov height 31 cm salary Grachev Brothers St. Petersburg 1890.Silver St. Helena height 10.3 cm Grachev Brothers St. Petersburg 1899 1903.
